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TESTIMONIALS LETTERS
What people think of MINTdesign: Your image is what people think, true or not; identity is the reality that creates a true perception, as noted below. Talent and skill are important. But successful implementation of an identity program involves seasoned business experience. Scope in business communications, listening skill, adherence to confidentiality, knowledge of question framing, understanding of human nature and perception, survey techniques, maturity and abilities in working with people in a diverse range of personalities, roles, responsibilities, politics, perspectives and work environments, all play a critical role. Customer satisfaction will fail without the diligent application of business experience in the context of an identity process. Quotes
"Macsons logo—that’s genius.” "Mark Giordano has branding skills that equal the best New York City has to offer." "The outcome far exceeded even my lofty expectations. The scope of the work was immense, and attention to detail was intense. Mr. Go-Glass served as a wildly effective unifier and sales growth propellant." "Mint Design clients will get the branding expertise that comes from many years of experience." "Our Corporate Identity program sets up differentiating distinction immediately. Mint Design has exceeded my expectation." “There are a lot of phonies out there. Mark Giordano is the real thing.” "You'll find MINT Design performance to be 120%. He was always on time. Starting with an accurate evaluation, MINT Design was creative and professional." “Mark Giordano is the most talented man I ever met in my life. He has made a huge contribution to Nauticus and the city of Norfolk.” “Some people can’t even be taught to make anything; they make everything three times and it still doesn’t work. Very rarely does anyone come into this department who already really knows how to design. Mark Giordano has an innate ability.” "I've recently become acquainted with Mark Giordano and his remarkable work. It's been a long time since I've been this impressed." "The students in our design classes would benefit from having the Notesketch notebooks available. I personally would like the format and paper, and would recommend them." “I’m a tough sell; but after seeing the way Mint Design has articulated the Nauticus identity, I give it my total endorsement.” “Thank you for your work for the City of Norfolk. It made a big difference at Nauticus.” “Mark Giordano has more talent in his little finger, than most people have in both hands.” "Mark is the only corporate identity designer in the area who really understands branding." "Mark, As you know, we are the 2nd largest voluntary benefits producer for Allstate in the country. After seeing the brochure you did for us, their Vice President told me that it was the best brochure he had ever seen. Thought you should know. Thanks for all your work for us.” “You remember that ad you designed for me five years ago? I’m still getting calls from it! I’ve never seen anything like it!” “I’ve never had anyone give me that much attention and information on a first call. You are one of the most well read and knowledgeable people I have ever met. That’s why I hired you to do my identity. I never expected to pay that much for branding, but I'm glad that I did, after seeing what’s involved.” “We had the biggest Mother’s Day response from your ad that we’ve ever had. At 5:00, people were lined up out the front door, and around the building outside! Thanks so much." “You can tell him in three dozen words what you want, and he’ll do it. When he brings it to you, you’ll say, that’s it! It’s exactly what I wanted. His work is incomparable; he was born with a gift.” “Sensitive, artistic, very talented; the work he puts out is exquisite. The feel of the piece, the choice of materials, the coordination of color and composition. He’s an unbelievable craftsman.” “He’s not just a craftsman, he’s an artist; he’s meticulous, innovative; he reminds me of a Leonardo Da Vinci in the 20th century.” “His accomplishments are truly outstanding, noteworthy; and personally, I am envious of his abilities in the arts.” “Hes an outstanding craftsman, and very particular …great potential as a designer.” “That his efforts would be exquisitely wrought, justified in substance, and fitly composed, there is no doubt whatever. ...He won’t disappoint you, because he refuses to disappoint himself.” “He is destined to be a maker of beautiful things.” • Michael Savage Mastery Facilitator, Anthony Robbins Research International • Bill Boyer Owner Tidewater CEO • Doug Linderer Owner Go-Glass Corporation • Randy Philpott Founder, Town Point Executive Network TPEN • Glenn Workman Owner PESTOUT Pest Control • Howard Webb President Nauticus Foundation • Jim Hodges Pallett Oil Company • Pete Decker, Jr. Chairman Nauticus Foundation Founder, The Decker Law Firm • Ken Hunnibell Director of Industrial Design Department, Rhode Island School of Design, RISD • Milo Baughman Owner, Milo Baughman Design, Inc., Chairman Department of Environmental Design Professor Brigham Young University • Woody Flowers Professor Mechanical Engineering M.I.T. • Dr. Mason Andrews Physician, Mayor of Norfolk Founder, Eastern Virginia Medical School, EVMS • Irving B. Hill Mayor of Norfolk, Vice President, Cox Communications • Leroy T. Canoles, Jr. Owner of Kaufman & Canoles Law Firm, Norfolk, VA • Robert Nutt Attorney at Law, Virginia Beach VA • Star Robbins President, SR&C, London KY • Franklin Hall III Real Estate Broker • Diane Bengele Owner Atlantic Commercial Real Estate • Martha Fox Owner, Flowers Etc. • Mortimer V. Schwartz President/Owner Fine Tool Shops, Danbury CT • America Mallozi A.I.A. Architect, Professor of Design, Providence College RI • Dr. David Johnson Sr. Cardiologist, Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters, Norfolk VA • Richard B. Hook VP Design Engineering, Brown & Sharp Manufacturing Kingston, RI • Tage Frid Professor of Design, Rhode Island School of Design Providence RI • Parker Lesley Professor, Old Dominion University • A. B. Jackson Professor, Old Dominion University, Norfolk VA
Letters Pallett Oil Company "In 2013 MINT Design, Inc. and Pallett Oil signed an agreement for a name change, corporate redesign and a new logo and its applications. Mark Giordano organized all his work for us on a definitive project schedule, and then methodically laid everything out within an eight-month process. He was always on time. Starting with an accurate evaluation of our company’s past work, present conditions, and future goals, and progressing through the writing of a vision, the design of our logo, stationery and paper, advertising, building and vehicular signage, MINT Design was creative and professional. Mark implemented a survey of our existing customers, which factually showed how we needed to market to our existing and new customer bases. His ideas and creativity, especially for our new logo and its relationship to a critical name change, was more than any company could ask for. Mark’s breadth of experience helped us produce critical positive clarifications in our image with our existing customers, and set up a strong basis for impacting the perception in our new market communications. As a result, we have just finished our best year installing new equipment in our heating and cooling department. If you use Mint Design for its expertise, you will find that their performance to be 120%. Sincerely, Jim Hodges Executive Vice President/ General Manager Pallett Heating and Cooling " Pestout Pest Control "PESTOUT marketing depends on differentiating our services with those of our competitors. Our corporate identity program sets up this distinction immediately in the initial impressions made with various audiences. This affords us the opportunity to begin the main dialog essential for good business with our customers. Mark Giordano and his company Mint design, have exceeded my expectations in realizing this goal. He is an ongoing trusted consultant to my company. Glenn Workman President; PESTOUT" Tidewater CEO "Mark Giordano has branding skills that equal the best New York City has to offer. He has worked with local organizations and helped them achieve national identity. One of these is Nauticus in Norfolk which had been unable to establish a unique identity to bring it national attention. He developed their entire program including the marketing basis for bringing in the battleship Wisconsin. Nauticus is now a prime local venue for tourism. There are other regional companies that have gained prominence using his branding concepts. I am a business coach with many years of experience and some of this time has been working with large companies that have achieved much recognition for their branding. Mark’s approach is on a par with this experience, and would have achieved the same level of recognition for these companies. Having worked with Mark for a few years, he has shown a unique skill in photography with pictures that achieve more than just an image: they express an identity. I have often recommended Mark to companies who need help establishing or improving their brand. He is an excellent marketer. Bill Boyer, Owner Tidewater CEO _________________________________ BIO: Bill Boyer has over 40 years experience working with businesses, spanning Fortune 50 to owning his own company prior to starting his coaching practice. He has been a principal in small to major international corporations with extensive experience in operations, distribution and finance. Bill has held CEO, COO, CFO, and other VP positions with Burlington Industries, The Disston Company, Hickson PLC and other corporations. He has also been an individual coach/consultant with many smaller corporations. Bill holds a BS in Industrial Management from the University of Richmond, and is a graduate of executive programs at the University of Virginia. He specializes in helping companies achieve organizational effectiveness and operational efficiency. Have been involved with various companies that were recognized with Addy Awards (now American Advertising) and some of these were considered to be at forefront of marketing practices. Webb Technologies Inc. "Dear Mark, I can't thank you enough for the outstanding support you given us in our marketing efforts. As with any successful initiative, your helping us get to the heart of what we really needed at the beginning of the process was so important. From this great foundation, your comprehensive approach made all the difference. By guiding the company to find its meaning from the reality of where we were, to a concise vision of our future, the identity you created for Webb Technology and its merger in ColonialWebb produced the desired result. Your design system greatly enhanced the company’s subsequent growth from your applied solutions for our logo, collateral marketing materials, and the website. Your professionalism, communication, and follow through during the process was fabulous. Your creativity is off the charts. The result has been an effective image and the right marketing tools that clearly set us apart from our competition. We are already seeing tangible sales results. Please feel free to use us as a reference for future clients Mint Design! Sincerely, Bob Eyer Service Sales Manager Webb Technologies, Inc." Go-Glass Corporation "As a young , energetic, second generation owner of a Maryland-based, three-location glass business in the early 1990’s, I had ambitious growth plans for more sales and more locations. But I had a problem. We had three locations, three different names, and a changing market focus. Meanwhile, our foot was on the growth accelerator. Enter MINT Design. While visiting Virginia Beach, I came upon a yellow page ad for MINT Design that drew me in. It said, “Madison Avenue identity without the overhead.” I simply had to call! The ad stood out as so incredibly professional and eye appealing that it made everything else on the page look like an accident. The yellow page ad was a stellar example of the way MINT Design works, and a foreshadowing of great things to come. I had a good idea of the type of end result I was looking for, but I had no clue about how to get there. Mark Giordano excelled at explaining the process to me, outlining each step and providing a timeline and cost for same. The outcome far exceeded even my lofty expectations. The scope of the work was immense, and the applicability and attention to appropriate detail was intense. From three disparate entities, a star company was born. The GO-GLASS CORPORATION, was now our new corporate name, and our new icon—Mr. Go-Glass—served as a wildly effective unifier and sales growth propellant. From the initial ideation through full-throttle, comprehensive implementation, no detail that mattered was overlooked. Things that, to our detriment, used to be handled “on-the-fly” were now part of a comprehensive design hierarchy. ALL types of corporate communication, whether vehicle and location signage, letterhead, envelopes, business cards, ads, photography, promotional handouts, billboard art, yellow page (and later, web) design, were all expertly handled. We now had a design system in place, with digital as well as hard copy documentation furnished as a backup for future use. When the identity was launched everyone embraced Mr. Go-Glass. People naturally smiled as they said our name, school children sang our Mr. Go-Glass radio jingle, people called me “Mr. Go-Glass” in our town. Corporate Identity, indeed! Mr. Go-Glass now stood apart from the pack, and immediately became synonymous with the tag lines MINT Design created, “Rapid, Quality Installation,” and “Fast and Friendly.” Increased revenue and accolades began to flow. We added five more stores in five years. A local university business professor lauded our promotional efforts and used Mr. Go-Glass as a positive example in her marketing class. I was asked to address a National Glass Trade Association audience for being selected as the number one new glass chain identity in the country. Our local/regional company acquired the stature and recognition normally accorded a national industry player. I was invited to be on the board of the National Glass Association. What began as a leap of faith turned out to be a key ingredient in our success." Doug Linderer, President / Owner Mr. Go-Glass chain Time & Pay "Randy Philpott Time & Pay 753 Thimble Shoals Blvd. Suite D-1 Newport News, VA 23606 To whom it may concern: I am writing this letter of recommendation to recognize Mark Giordano and Mint Design. I am a small business owner here in the Hampton Roads Virginia region. As a small business owner I rely heavily on word of mouth advertising to promote my services. To enhance my marketing efforts I host a weekly business development forum which is where Mint Design owner Mark Giordano and I first met. I was so intrigued with my initial encounter with Mark, and hearing about his branding company I was compelled to learn more about his offering. After several meetings with Mark I hired him to develop a conceptual branding of my networking group TPEN (Town Point Executive Network). The objective was to develop an identity that embodied the purpose of our business networking group, give it a brand and a logo that encompassed our mission. I also thought it was important to embody the characteristics that defined our membership in the design of our logo. Mark's company not only exceeded our expectation but also completed the project ahead of schedule and without any cost overruns. I have since had the pleasure of getting to know Mark on a more personal level and continue to be impressed with his seemingly endless list of aptitudes. I have also had the pleasure of experiencing firsthand the enhancements that he has implemented at Nauticus, The National Maritime Center, located on the downtown Norfolk waterfront which attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year. Before Mint Design arrived on the scene the museum was struggling for an identity and touring the museum was cumbersome and confusing to navigate (not to mention that many of the displays were without descriptions). Mint Design not only created the new Nauticus logo, but through an in-depth analysis developed a marketing platform, exhibit storyline, educational exhibits, collateral materials and marketing, and a wayfinding system throughout the Center. Nauticus now has a logo and is easier to navigate also has a brand recognized locally, nationally and globally. These are just of a couple of examples of how Mint Design has enhanced the value and success of their clientele. I highly recommend Mark's company for any business, institution or entity that is looking to build a more comprehensive brand. Mint Design has a long history of replicating these types of successful branding projects. I am confident that Mint Design clients will get the branding expertise that comes from many years of experience but also will enjoy getting to know and work with Mark Giordano. Sincerely, Randy Philpott, President"